DEATHLOOP
AND THE BEST TIME LOOP GAMES
By Matthew Byrd
Deathloop is getting a lot of well-deserved love for its time loop mechanics. We review the history of video games filled with incredible "Groundhog Day" experiences worth your attention.
Ghost and Goblins is one of the most notable early examples of a video game "time loop." You actually had to beat this incredibly difficult game twice to see the real ending.
While not a "strict" time loop, Chrono Trigger is one of the best games about time travel and time paradoxes ever made. It also happens to be one of the best RPGs ever.
Several '90s/2000s adventure games used time loops, but Escape from Monkey Island features one of the best. To solve one of its puzzles, players must interact with themselves in a "time swamp."
Time loop games really took off with 2000's The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. That game fully embraced the time loop idea and is one of the best examples of that storytelling concept.
2001's Shadow of Memories took time loop storytelling to a new level. This game about solving your own murder forces you to navigate several time periods.
2008's Braid is rightfully praised for its incredible story that challenges the tropes of fantasy and platformers. It also features one of the most clever "time loops" in any medium.
The Stanley Parable plays with the very idea of a time loop, but uses that basic concept as the foundation for one of the funniest games ever made.
2013’s BioShock Infinite remains controversial, but the game's use of time loops and multiple dimensions is very much worth experiencing for yourself.
The Sexy Brutale tasks you with solving several murders that happen within minutes of each other. The only way to do it is to navigate a time loop in this brilliant mystery game.
As the name suggests, Minit is all about finding a way to beat a Zelda-like adventure across numerous 60-second loops. It's a time loop adventure for those who only have a few minutes to spare.
If Outer Wilds isn't the best time loop game ever, it's certainly the most ambitious. This stunning title is arguably one of gaming's most complete artistic triumphs.
Deathloop might not even be 2021's best time loop game. After all, the brilliant Returnal pushes the time loop idea to its limits as it tells one of gaming's greatest sci-fi horror stories.